Om øvstepresten sin familie

Denne veka blir det opna ei ny utstilling i Jerusalem Archaeological Garden like sør for tempelplassen. Her blir det vist fram gjenstandar som ikkje tidlegare har vore vist fram for publikum, blant anna eit sarkofaglokk som kan knytast til øvstepresten sin familie i det første hundreåret.

Jerusalem Post skriv:

The Israel Antiquities Authority is presenting a new exhibition which includes ancient coins uncovered at the Temple Mount and a 2,000-year-old sarcophagus lid. The new display will open on November 11 at the Davidson Center and in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, just south of the Temple Mount. Many of the artifacts have not previously been shown to the public.

(…)

According to a report released by the Israeli Antiquities Authority, the sarcophagus lid was found just north of Jerusalem. The lid is “engraved with an inscription in square script that is characteristic of the Second Temple period.”

The inscription “Son of the High Priest” most likely refers to a High Priest who officiated at the Temple between 30 and 70 CE.

“This is the first time that we have been able to locate a manor house of the high priest of Judea during the first century, during the time of the Jewish rebellion,” Har-Even told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “We found a huge settlement from the Second Temple Period, in which there are a lot of burial caves that were probably used by the family of the High Priest.” (Les meir)

(via PaleoJudaica)

Pilegrimsveg til tempelplassen

Eg har tidlegare nemnt at ein 2000 år gamal hovudveg som gjekk frå Siloadammen opp til hovudinngangen til tempelplassen i Jerusalem, er i ferd med å bli gravd ut. Nyleg er ein mindre del av vegen opna for publikum. Då eg var ved Siloadammen i forrige veke, var eg innom på staden.

Det var flott å få sjå vegen (trappa) som eg hadde lese om, med eigne auge. Det at denne vegen hovudsakleg er ei trapp, heng saman med at det er relativt stor høgdeforskjell mellom Siloadammen, som ligg på det lågaste punktet i det gamle Jerusalem, og tempelplassen.

Israel Antiquities Authority researchers have re-exposed a stretch of road in Jerusalem dating to the Second Temple period that is believed to have been used by pilgrims on their ascent to the Temple. Existence of the 40-meter segment of road, cleared over the past few months to open it to visitors, has been known of for more than a century.

(…)

“There is practically no doubt that this was the focus of pilgrim traffic. We know this both from Jewish and Christian sources. The Pool of Siloam provided water for hundreds of people simultaneously and could be used for purification before ascending to the Temple Mount.

From the Pool of Siloam, the road continued for 600 meters to the Temple Mount. Although only two meters of the street’s width have so far been excavated, it is believed to have stretched eight meters across.

(Les meir)

Reinsingsbad / Miqveh

A large and Magnificent 2,000 Year Old Miqve was Exposed in the Western Wall Tunnels

A large and impressive ritual bath (miqve) from the end of the Second Temple period was recently uncovered in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is carrying out in the Western Wall tunnels, in cooperation with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

The miqve was discovered inside the western hall of a splendid structure that is located just c. 20 meters from the Western Wall. Parts of the building were discovered in the past and the Israel Antiquities Authority is currently exposing another one of the three halls inside it. It is one of the most magnificent structures from the Second Temple period ever to be uncovered.  (les meir)

(via PaleoJudaica)

Omrit i Galilea

Det er funne spor etter det som kan ha vore ein tidleg jødisk-kristen landsby bygd rundt restane etter eit romersk tempel i Omrit i Galilea.

Jerusalem Post skriv i artikkelen Omrit – Herod’s mystery temple? om tempelet som for tida blir grave fram i Omrit, nær Banias / Cæsarea Filippi. Den interessante artikkelen legg sjølvsagt hovudvekta på skildringa av tempelet som kan ha vore bygd av Herodes den store til ære for keisar Augustus.

Mot slutten av artikkelen kjem det fram opplysningar om ei mogleg jødisk-kristen forsamling og deira etterbruk av tempelet:

The temple probably stood for many years while the character of the site slowly changed to commercial and industrial use, and the temple site and stonework may have been used to create a chapel, where two crosses in black basalt were found.

The late Roman remains show an active village site, perhaps an early Judeo-Christian community, thriving alongside an active trade route to Damascus and the coast.

The temple-shrine may have come to an end after the severe earthquake of 363, but life continued in the Byzantine period until the massive quake of 749, which destroyed so many of the buildings in the Golan.

Les heile artikkelen her.

(via BiblePlaces Blog)

Amfiteater i Tiberias

Det er funne eit 2000 år gamalt romersk amfiteater i Tiberias. Byen, som ligg ved Gennesaretsjøen, blei grunnlagt av Herodes Antipas ca år 20, og var hovudstad i riket hans på den tid Jesus verka i området. Byen er nemnt i NT (sjå Joh 6,23), men det blir aldri sagt direkte at Jesus besøkte staden.

Haaretz skriv:

A 2000-year-old Roman amphitheatre has finally been revealed after 19 years of excavation work since its first discovery.

(…)

The 1990 findings came as a surprise to the archeologists digging near Mount Berniki in the Tiberias hills as there are no references to such a place anywhere in scriptures.

(…)

“The most interesting thing about the amphitheatre,” said Hirshfeld upon the discovery, “is its Jewish context. Unlike Tzipori, which was a multi-cultural city, Tiberias was a Jewish city under Roman rule. The findings demonstrate the city’s pluralistic nature and cultural openness, a fact uncommon in those days.”

In light of the findings Tiberias appears as particularly liberal for a city that was established over 2000 years ago, said Atrash and added that “the theatre was enormous, and being so it attracted a lot of attention. It seated over 7000 people, and appears to have been a prominent landmark for the entire area.”

Mayor of Tiberias Zohar Oved said the discovery of the amphitheatre is undoubtedly “one of the most important findings in the history of the Jewish people” and is planned to open the site to the public as part of Tiberias archeological gardens in the near future.

(Les meir)

Vegen opp til tempelplassen

Eg gleder meg til å sjå den 2000 år gamle hovudvegen som gjekk frå Siloadammen opp til tempelplassen i Jerusalem. Delar av vegen, som eg har skrive om tidlegare (sjå notatet Her gjekk Jesus!), er i desse dagar opna for publikum. Eg skal til Jerusalem i haustferien om eit par veker, og håper å få sjå litt av denne vegen då.

Synagogen i Magdala

Magdala var ein by som låg på vestsida av Gennesaretsjøen, mellom Tiberias og Kapernaum. Det er denne veka blitt kjent at arkeologar har funne restane etter ein synagoge i utgravingane som pågår på staden. Synagogen skal vera frå perioden 50 f Kr – 100 e Kr.

Dette er eit interessant arkeologiske funn. For det første fordi det bare er funne nokre ganske få synagogar som er så gamle. For det andre fordi det blei funne ein stein med eit utskore bilde av den sjuarma lysestaken i tempelet i Jerusalem. Det er faktisk første gongen ein finn bilde av denne lysestaken frå tida då tempelet framleis stod i Jerusalem, og det til og med i ein jødisk kontekst. Det hittil eldste og beste bildet har vore bildet på Titusbuen i Forum Romanum i Roma.

Veit me noko om Jesus og Magdala? Eg meiner det er ganske sannsynleg at han har vore i byen. Og har han vore i byen, har han nok sikkert også vore i synagogen som nå er funnen!

For det første låg Magdala nær Kapernaum som var eit utgangspunkt og ein heimstad for Jesus (Matt 4,13). Slik skriv Matteus om Jesu virke i Galilea:

Jesus gjekk no omkring i alle byane og landsbyane. Han underviste i synagogane deira og forkynte evangeliet om riket og lækte all sjukdom og plage. (Matt 9,35)

For det andre kan Magdala også knytast til fleire andre tekstar i NT. Det blir antatt at den kvinnelege disippelen Maria Magdalena (Mark 15,40-41) var frå byen. Byen blir også ofte identifisert med stadnamna Magadan (Matt 15,39) og Dalmanuta (Mark 8,10).

Sjå bilder frå funnet i Magdala her.

Utgravingane blir gjort av Israel Antiquities Authority. Her er informasjonen dei har gått ut med:

One of the Oldest Synagogues in the World was Exposed in the Israel Antiquities Authority Excavation

A synagogue from the Second Temple period (50 BCE-100 CE) was exposed in archaeological excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting at a site slated for the construction of a hotel on Migdal beach, in an area owned by the Ark New Gate Company. In the middle of the synagogue is a stone that is engraved with a seven-branched menorah (candelabrum), the likes of which have never been seen. The excavations were directed by archaeologists Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najar of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

The main hall of synagogue is c. 120 square meters in area and its stone benches, which served as seats for the worshippers, were built up against the walls of the hall. Its floor was made of mosaic and its walls were treated with colored plaster (frescos). A square stone, the top and four sides of which are adorned with reliefs, was discovered in the hall. The stone is engraved with a seven-branched menorah set atop a pedestal with a triangular base, which is flanked on either side by an amphora (jars).

According to the excavation director, Dina Avshalom-Gorni of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “We are dealing with an exciting and unique find. This is the first time that a menorah decoration has been discovered from the days when the SecondTemple was still standing. This is the first menorah to be discovered in a Jewish context and that dates to the Second Temple period/beginning of the Early Roman period. We can assume that the engraving that appears on the stone, which the Israel Antiquities Authority uncovered, was done by an artist who saw the seven-branched menorah with his own eyes in the Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue that was uncovered joins just six other synagogues in the world that are known to date to the SecondTemple period”.

According to the Minister of Culture and Sport, MK Limor Livnat, “This important find attests to the extensive Jewish settlement in the northern region at the time of the Temple. I am certain that the site will constitute an attraction for tourists from abroad and from Israel and will shed light on life in the Jewish settlement during the Second Temple period”.

Jose Miguel Abat, legal representative of “Ark New Gate” company, expressed his joy for the finding and said it reinforces the company’s intention to establish a center of dialogue and respect between the different religions and cultures. Abat said that “we are sure this finding and the planned center will attract tourists and visitors from Israel and from around the World”.

The synagogue is located in Migdal (‘Magdala’ in Aramaic), which is mentioned in Jewish sources. Migdal played an important role during the Great Revolt and was actually the main base of Yosef Ben Matityahu (Josephus Flavius), commander of the rebellion in the Galilee. Migdal also continued to resist the Romans after both the Galilee and Tiberias had surrendered. ‘Magdala’ is mentioned in Christian sources as the place whence Mary Magdalene came, one of the women who accompanied Jesus and the apostles and who Christian tradition has sanctified. After it was conquered by the Romans, the city was destroyed and many of its residents were killed. At the end of the Second Temple period Migdal was an administrative center of the western basin of the Sea of Galilee. Until the founding of Tiberias in the year 19 CE, Migdal was the only important settlement along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The site is currently closed to visitors and will be opened to the public in the future.

(via PaleoJudaica)

Funn frå Bar Kochbas tid

Det er funne eit stort antal myntar, keramikk og våpen frå tida då den jødiske Bar Kochba leia opprør mot romarane (132-136 e.Kr.).

Funnet er gjort i ei grotte i Judaørkenen.

Arutz-7 skriv i dag:

Bar Kochba Treasure Chest Discovered in Judean Hills

The largest-ever known number of coins from the time of Bar Kochba, the Jewish leader against Roman invaders, has been discovered in the Judean Hills by cave researchers from the Hebrew and Bar-Ilan Universities in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan.

The research team found three batches of bronze, silver and gold coins in a deep cavern in a nature reserve. Pottery and weapons also were discovered.

Jerusalems eldste historie

Haaretz skriv:

Massive Canaanite walls reveal Jerusalem’s might long before King David was crowned

Extensive fortifications recently discovered in the archaeological excavation in Silwan in East Jerusalem go back about 3,700 years, to the biblical period of the Patriarchs, revealing that Jerusalem at that time was significantly larger and stronger than previously believed.

According to the director of the excavation, Prof. Ronny Reich, the fortifications – the largest ever discovered in this area – were meant to create a protected link between the fortress-city in the area, known as the City of David, and the Siloam Spring. The fact that the spring was located outside the city walls was a major weakness in the city’s ability to defend itself, Reich says.

(Les meir)

Oppdatering 08.09.2009: Dei massive forsvarsverka, som skal vera frå ca 1700 f.Kr., er nå omtalt i Vårt Land som har henta informasjonen frå svenske Dagen. Artikkelen gjengjev korrekt og interessant informasjon, bortsett frå at det blir sagt at muren er “det største monumentale byggverket man har funnet fra det første tempelets periode”. Poenget er sjølvsagt at dette er det største byggverket frå perioden før det første templet, som blei bygd av kong Salomo på 900-talet f.Kr.

Vårt Land skriv:

De israelske arkeologene sier muren var «gigantisk» for sin tid. Lederen for utgravningene, Ronny Reich, mener murrestene viser at Jerusalem på denne tiden var et mer utviklet og organisert samfunn enn ekspertene tidligere har trodd.

– Muren ble først bygget for å beskytte mot ørkennomader som ville plyndre byen. Den viser at Jerusalem på dette tidspunktet hadde blitt et bysamfunn med en hersker som hadde evner og ressurser til å oppføre et slikt byggverk, sier Reich.

Muren skal også ha beskyttet Jerusalems innbyggere når de hentet vann i Siloa-dammen, byens viktigst vannkilde.

Restene av muren ble funnet i Silwan, øst i Jerusalem, like utenfor bymuren som omkranser byen. Den er opptil åtte meter høy og er bygget av to til tre meter tykke steiner. Til nå er 24 meter av muren gravd fram. Funnet dateres til den mellomste bronsealderen i Midtøsten, til de bibelske stamfedrenes tid under den kanaanittiske perioden.

10 på topp, bibelsk arkeologi

Biblical Archaeology Review framhever i jubileumsnummeret sitt ti viktige funn innan bibelsk arkeologi frå dei siste åra.

Slike lister vil sjølvsagt alltid kunne diskuterast. Er f. eks. Nag Hammadi-biblioteket verkeleg viktigare enn Dødehavsrullane? Slik undrar Jim Davila på PaleoJudaica og klør seg i hovudet. Og det med god grunn. Men trass i slike motførestellingar er lista sjølvsagt interessant for den som følgjer med på fagfeltet.

Her er lista. Artikkelen i BAR skildrar alle ti funna.

1. Ashkelon’s Arched Gate (Sør-Israel)
2. Stepped Stone Structure (Jerusalem)
3. ‘Ain Dara Temple (Nord-Syria)
4. Tel Dan (“David”) Stela (Nord-Israel)
5. Yahweh and His Asherah (Austre Sinai)
6. Babylonian Siege Tower and Arrowheads (Jerusalem)
7. St. Peter’s House (Kapernaum)
8. The Siloam Pool in Jesus’ Time (Jerusalem)
9. Mona Lisa of the Galilee (Sepphoris)
10. The Nag Hammadi Library (Øvre Egypt)

Mine favorittar blant desse er to stadar som er direkte knytt til forteljingane om Jesu liv; Peters hus i Kapernaum (såvidt omtalt her i eit notat etter eit besøk i Galilea) og Siloadammen i Jerusalem.

Mini – Aleksander den store

Ein liten smykkestein med eit flott bilete av Aleksander den store er nyleg funne i utgravingar i Tel Dor på den israelske kysten sør for Haifa.

Arutz Sheva skriv:

Unprecedented Miniature Carving of Alexander the Great Found

Excavations in Tel Dor have turned up a rare and unexpected work of Hellenistic art: a precious stone bearing the miniature carved likeness of Alexander the Great. Archaeologists are calling it an important find, indicating the great skill of the artist.

(…)

“Despite the tiny proportions – the length of the gemstone (gemma) is less than a centimeter and its width less than half a centimeter – the artist was able to carve the image of Alexander of Macedon with all of his features,” Dr. Gilboa said. “The king appears as young and energetic, with a sharp chin and straight nose, and with long, curly hair held in a crown.”

(…)

“It has been accepted to assume that first-rate artists – and whoever carved the image of Alexander in this gemstone was certainly one of them – were primarily active under the patronage of the large royal courts in Greece itself or in major capitals,” the scientists explained. “It turns out that local elites in secondary centers such as Dor could allow themselves – and knew to appreciate – superior artwork.”  (les meir)

(via Biblical Archaeology Review)

Lenker til bileta har eg funne på BiblePlaces Blog. Andre bloggar som skriv om funnet: PergaMent og The History Blog.

Synagogefunn i Demre, Tyrkia

Tyrkiske arkeologar har funne eit jødisk “tempel”, truleg ein synagoge, i Demre (Myra) i Lykia-regionen. Staden ligg sørvest for Antalya.

Dei seier det er første gong det er funne spor av jødisk kultur i dette området av Tyrkia, og er tydelegvis glade for desse funna!

(I kristen samanheng er elles denne staden kjent som heimstad for St. Nikolaus, helgenen som er eitt av utgangspunkta for julenissetradisjonane.)

Today’s Zaman skriv:

Jewish temple found in ancient port city at Lycian site

Ongoing excavations at the ancient port city of Andriake in Lycia — located in Antalya’s Demre district — have uncovered a centuries-old Jewish temple.

Site chief Dr. Nevzat Çevik, an archaeology professor at Akdeniz University, told the Anatolia news agency that his team believes the temple is from around the third century. Located on a choice spot facing the sea, the temple was likely built following a law instituted in 212 that allowed Jews the right to become Roman citizens, Çevik said.

The find is important as it is the first archaeological trace of Jewish culture found in Lycia. “For the archaeological world, the world of science and particularly for Lycian archaeology and history, we’re facing an important find here. It’s the first remnant of Lycian Jewish culture we’ve found,” Çevik said, describing the find. (Les meir)

(via PaleoJudaica)

Kong David sitt palass?

Eg har tidlegare skrive om Eilat Mazar sine arkeologiske utgravingar i Davidsbyen i Jerusalem. Ho hevdar blant anna at ho har funne kong Davids palass! Nå er den foreløpige rapporten om dette funnet gjeve ut som bok.

(Oppdatering 25.10.2009: For eit par veker sidan var eg i Davidsbyen. Då kjøpte eg rapporten og tok bl a dette biletet frå utgravingane).

Todd Bolen kommenterer på BiblePlaces Blog:

The first preliminary report of Eilat Mazar’s excavations of the City of David is provocatively entitled, The Palace of King David.  The cover art shows an artist’s reconstruction of the palace, based on far more than what Mazar has excavated in her first three seasons.

Her er utgjevaren sin informasjon om boka med rapporten frå utgravingane:

The Palace of King David
Excavations at the Summit of the City of David: Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007

by Eilat Mazar
Shoham Academic Research and Publication, 2009
100 pages + numerous full color pictures, English
Paper
ISBN: 9789659029952
Your Price: $22.50
www.eisenbrauns.com/item/MAZPALACE

Utgravingar på Ramat Rachel

Arutz-7 skriv i dag om interessante arkeologiske funn som er gjort på Ramat Rachel mellom Jerusalem og Betlehem. Ramat Rachel er ein kibbutz som eg har vore innom fleire gonger, blant anna fordi dei driv ein god og effektiv spisestad. Eg har registrert at det i fleire år har vore arkeologiske utgravingar inne på området til kibbutzen.

Remains from Period of King Hezekiah Discovered

The most recent dramatic archaeological find in Israel is that of a luxurious administrative center from the period of King Hezekiah, over 2,700 years ago. The center was discovered in Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, just south of Jerusalem.

(…)

The administrative center at what is now Ramat Rachel included a complex of palace buildings that was active from the reign of King Menashe through that of King Zedekiah, at the end of the First Temple period, and for at least 200 years after the return to Zion and through the Hellenistic period. During the Hasmonean period, however, the site was razed to the ground – and atop it was built a Jewish village, from which remain many ritual baths situated in private homes, caves used for raising pigeons, and more.

The Jewish village lasted until at least the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in the year 68, when the Romans took it over. A church was built there under the Byzantines, but the site was later to remain desolate for nearly 1,000 years – until the construction of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel by modern-day Zionist Jews.

(Les meir)

Arkeologisk falskneri

Det er mange som er opptatt av arkeologiske funn som kan knytast til Bibelen. Derfor er det også marknad for falskneri på dette området. Professor Magnar Kartveit, Misjonshøgskolen, skriv i dag (08.08.2009) om problemet i kommentaren Sann, sannare, sannast? i Stavanger Aftenblad (papirutgåva).

Han nyttar den kjende saka om steinkista med inskripsjonen “Jakob, son av Josef, Jesu bror” som eksempel. Her er antikvitetshandlaren Oded Golan i Tel Aviv tiltalt for å ha skrive denne inskripsjonen inn på ei gamal steinkiste for å gjera den (mykje) meir verdifull. Det viser seg vanskeleg å få han dømt:

I 2004 vart difor Oded Golan tiltalt for falskneri, og i 2005 vart rettssaka opna. Fleire andre vart også tiltalte, og Dorfman såg for seg opprulling av eit heilt nettverk av forfalsking, tjuveri, svarte pengar og luring av godtruande kunstsamlarar, museum og fagfolk. Etter årevis med rettargang, 100 vitne og 10.000 sider rettsprotokoll truar saka med å bli ein fiasko for Dorfman, staten Israel og dei statlege instansane.

Forklaringa på dette er enkel. Ved ei rettssak er den tiltala uskuldig inntil det er lagt fram fellande prov og domen er rettskraftig. Golan har hatt dyktige juristar som har klart å så tvil om alle bevis, og aktoratet sitt kronvitne, ein egyptisk handverkar som truleg har utført forfalskingane, nekta å koma til Jerusalem. Dermed kan ikkje staten Israel bevisa at Golan har utført eller bestilt forfalskingsarbeidet. Tvilen kjem tiltalte til gode.

Sjå også filmen Cool Jobs: Forgery Expert

Utgravingar på Sionshøgda

Det er nyleg funne eit steinkar med ca 2000 år gamal arameisk eller hebraisk skrift i Jerusalem. Funnet blei gjort i dei arkeologiske utgravingane på Sionshøgda like utanfor Gamlebyen, der arbeidet denne sesongen nå er avslutta. Arkeologane opplever funnet som svært interessant, men teksten som kryptisk, og dei har naturleg nok bede om hjelp frå andre faggrupper til å tolka den.

Steinkaret er kanskje noko tilsvarande dei som er omtalt i NT, i forteljinga om bryllupet i Kana:

No stod det seks vasskar av stein der, slike som blir nytta i reinsingsskikkane til jødane. Kvart av dei tok to eller tre anker. «Fyll kara med vatn,» sa Jesus. Og tenarane fylte dei til randa. (Joh 2,6-7)

Nettsida Dig Mount Zion har mykje informasjon frå staden, blant anna kart og bilete, og ei pressemelding om funna denne sommarsesongen (sjå nedanfor). Bloggen TaborBlog, som blir skriven av ein av arkeologane i prosjektet, har også mykje stoff om desse utgravingane.

Steinkaret med den gamle teksten får sjølvsagt hovudoppslaget i pressemeldinga og i dei utallige presseoppslaga som har følgt i kjølvatnet av offentleggjeringa. Men dei andre funna som blir nemnte, er også interessante:

• eit bygningskompleks frå det andre templet si tid, dvs frå Jesu tid, med bl a reiningsbad og omnar for brødbaking. Denne bydelen (“Øvrebyen”) var truleg bydelen der presteskapet og saddukearane budde.
• ein bygning med mosaikkgolv frå bysantinsk tid, Jerusalems kristne periode (ca 325-638). Det blir antyda at bygningen kanskje har hatt  samanheng med Neakyrkja. Det er tidlegare gjort få funn med tilknyting til denne store kyrkja frå 500-talet.

Her er pressemeldinga om 2009-sesongen:

A Unique Inscription from Second Temple Times Found in Jerusalem

A unique ten-line inscription on the side of a stone cup commonly used for ritual purity during the first century CE was recently uncovered in archaeological excavations conducted this summer on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Inscriptions of this kind are extremely rare and only a handful has been found in scientific excavations made within the city.

The new inscription from the first century CE is presently being deciphered by epigraphic experts in an effort to determine the meaning of the text, which is clear but cryptic. The dig also produced a sequence of building remains dating from the history of Jerusalem, from the First and Second Temple periods through to Byzantine and Early Islamic periods.

From the Second Temple period archaeologists uncovered a house complex with an mikve (purification pool) with a remarkably well preserved vaulted ceiling. Inside this house were three bread ovens with a level of burning dating from the year 70 CE when Titus and the Roman troops stormed the city. Archaeologists believe that this area of the Upper City of Jerusalem served as the priestly quarter of Jerusalem during Second Temple times. In support of this were interesting finds including an ornate window screen made of stone. Ten murex shells were also found and these were used for producing the argaman dye which was used for the coloring the priestly vestments at that time.

In addition, a large arched building with a mosaic floor (preserved to a height of 3 metres) from the Byzantine period was also uncovered; perhaps it is part of a building complex or street associated with the nearby Church of St Mary (the Nea)

Davidsbyen i Jerusalem

Israel Antiquities Authority har lagt ut ein film på 9 minutt frå Davidsbyen i Jerusalem (sjå film).

Filmen viser nye utgravingar, bl a Siloadammen (biletet), den herodianske gata (her) som går opp frå Siloadammen til tempelhøgda og dreneringskanalen (her) som går under denne gata.

(via BiblePlaces Blog)

Skipstrafikk i Romarriket

Det står ein del om skipstrafikken på Middelhavet i NT. Dette havet var nærast ein romersk “innsjø” og det var sjølvsagt ein omfattande trafikk mellom dei ulike delane av Romarriket. Sjøvegen var den raskaste og beste vegen å frakta varer på, så lenge det var sommarhalvår og trygt på sjøen. Derfor er det av interesse, også i eit bibelarkeologisk perspektiv, når det nyleg er gjort eit omfattande funn av fem romerske handelsskip frå perioden 1. hundreår f.Kr. til 5. hundreår e.Kr. på vestkysten av Italia.

Men før eg refererer meir frå dette skipsfunnet, tar eg med ein nytestamentleg tekst som er relevant i denne samanhengen. Då Paulus blei transportert som fange frå Cæsarea til Roma, reiste følget den lengste delen av reisa med eit handelsskip som frakta korn frå Alexandria i Egypt til Italia. Slik begynte turen i følge Apg 27,1-6:

Då det var avgjort at vi skulle segla til Italia, gav dei Paulus og nokre andre fangar over til ein offiser med namnet Julius frå Den keisarlege hæravdelinga. Vi gjekk om bord i eit skip frå Adramyttium som skulle til hamnene i Asia, og la så ut. Saman med oss var makedonaren Aristarkos frå Tessalonika. Dagen etter la vi til land i Sidon. Julius var venleg mot Paulus og gav han lov til å vitja venene sine og nyta godt av deira omsorg. Vi sette til havs att og segla i le av Kypros, fordi vinden bar imot. Så segla vi over havstykket utanfor Kilikia og Pamfylia og kom til Myra i Lykia. Der fann offiseren eit skip frå Aleksandria som skulle til Italia, og han sette oss om bord i det.

Nå er det altså gjort eit interessant funn av fem handelsfartøy i relativt god stand på 100 meters djup ved den italienske øya Ventotene midtvegs mellom Roma og Napoli.

Reuters skriv:

A team of archaeologists using sonar technology to scan the seabed have discovered a “graveyard” of five pristine ancient Roman shipwrecks off the small Italian island of Ventotene.

(…)

The vessels were transporting wine from Italy, prized fish sauce from Spain and north Africa, and a mysterious cargo of metal ingots from Italy, possibly to be used in the construction of statues or weaponry.

Gambin said the wrecks revealed a pattern of trade in the empire: at first Rome exported its produce to its expanding provinces, but gradually it began to import from them more and more of the things it once produced.

(…)

Due to their depth, the ships have lain untouched for hundreds of years but Gambin said the increasing popularity of deep water diving posed a threat to the Mediterranean’s archaeological treasures.

(Les meir)

Oppdatering 31.07.2009: Morgenbladet har denne veka ein oppfølgingsartikkel om skipsfunnet utanfor Italia, med kommentarar frå marinbiologen Marek E. Jasinski ved NTNU:

– Vrak fra antikken inneholder alltid hauger med amforaer stilt oppå hverandre. I dag pakker man i kasser og containere. På den tiden pakket man alt i amforaer: Vin, olje, korn, fiskesaus.

– Hvor langt bakover i tid kan man finne skip med intakt last?

– Egentlig er det ingen tidsbegrensning. Rent teknisk kan man gå tilbake til de eldste sivilisasjoner, til da menneskene for første gang begynte å bruke skip.

(…)

– Når man finner et forlist skip, kan det føre til krangler om hvem som har rett på skattene?

– Ja. I territoriale farvann tilfaller som regel funnet den konkrete staten. Det er mer sammensatt i internasjonale farvann. UNESCO har nettopp vedtatt en konvensjon om historiske skipsvrak i internasjonale farvann. Den er ratifisert av en del stater, men ikke av Norge. Det er en del politikk inne i bildet.

– Hvordan ligger undervannsarkeologien an i forhold til den type arkeologi som foregår på landjorda?

– I vitenskapen sier man at vi per i dag vet mer om Mars enn om havbunnen. Bare dét viser hvilke muligheter man har i marinarkeologien.

(Les meir)

Herodes’ grav på Herodion

Tidsskriftet Smithsonian har ein lengre og innhaldsrik artikkel om Herodion og om funnet av kong Herodes si grav på staden. Eg har tidlegare skrive ein del om funnet av denne grava i 2007 (bl a her).

Eg anbefaler gjerne Barbara Kreigers artikkel, som for øvrig viser at ikkje alle er like overbeviste om at Ehud Netzer verkeleg har funne Herodes si grav!

Her er eit utdrag:

Finding King Herod’s Tomb
After a 35-year search, an Israeli archaeologist is certain he has solved the mystery of the biblical figure’s final resting place

Shielding my eyes from the glare of the morning sun, I look toward the horizon and the small mountain that is my destination: Herodium, site of the fortified palace of King Herod the Great. I’m about seven miles south of Jerusalem, not far from the birthplace of the biblical prophet Amos, who declared: “Let justice stream forth like water.” Herod’s reign over Judea from 37 to 4 B.C. is not remembered for justice but for its indiscriminate cruelty. His most notorious act was the murder of all male infants in Bethlehem to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy heralding the birth of the Messiah. There is no record of the decree other than the Gospel of Matthew, and biblical scholars debate whether it actually took place, but the story is in keeping with a man who arranged the murders of, among others, three of his own sons and a beloved wife.

Long an object of scholarly as well as popular fascination, Herodium, also called Herodion, was first positively identified in 1838 by the American scholar Edward Robinson, who had a knack for locating biblical landmarks. After scaling the mountain and comparing his observations with those of the first century Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus, Robinson concluded that “all these particulars…leave scarcely a doubt, that this was Herodium, where the [Judean] tyrant sought his last repose.” Robinson’s observation was confirmed later that century by Conrad Schick, the famous German architect and archaeologist who conducted extensive surveys of Jerusalem and its nearby sites.

Mot slutten av artikkelen skildrar ho korleis professor Ehud Netzer som fann grava i 2007, viser henne fram på staden:

Clad in work shorts, hiking shoes and a well-worn leather Australian bush hat, Netzer scampers up the path to the tomb site. The septuagenarian offers me a hand as I seek a toehold. He greets the crew in Hebrew and Arabic as we pass from one section, where workers wield pickaxes, to another, where a young architect sketches decorative elements.

The tomb site is nearly barren, but the podium that bore the royal sarcophagus hints at magnificence. It is set into the stony earth, partially exposed and unmarred, the joints between the smooth white ashlars (slabs of square stone) so fine as to suggest they were cut by a machine. Netzer has also found the corner pilasters (columns partially built into the walls), enabling him to estimate that the mausoleum, nestled against the side of the mountain, stood on a base 30 by 30 feet and was some 80 feet high—as tall as a seven-story building. It was built of a whitish limestone called meleke (Arabic for “royal”) that was also used in Jerusalem and in the nearby Tomb of Absalom—named after the rebellious son of King David, but likely the tomb of the Judean King Alexander Jannaeus.

The mausoleum’s design is similar to the Tomb of Absalom, which dates to the first century B.C. and is notable for its conical roof, a motif also seen at Petra. The remnants of the mausoleum’s facade are composed of the three elements of classical entablature: architraves (ornamental beams that sit atop columns), friezes (horizontal bands above the architraves) and cornices (crown molding found on the top of buildings). Netzer has also found pieces of five decorative urns. The urn was a funerary motif, used notably at Petra.

Despite the work still to be done—excavating, assembling, publishing the data—Netzer is clearly gratified by what he has learned, which is, he says, the “secret” of Herodium: how Herod found a way to keep his vow and be buried in the desert. “In my field, ancient archaeology, you could say that once circumstances give me the opportunity to be quite certain, it’s not in my character to have further doubts.”

(Les meir)

Kyrkjefunn frå bysantinsk tid

A church that dates to the Byzantine period which is paved with breathtakingly beautiful mosaics and a dedicatory inscription was exposed in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting near Moshav Nes-Harim, 5 kilometers east of Bet Shemesh (at the site of Horvat A-Diri), in the wake of plans to enlarge the moshav.

Slik startar Israel Antiquities Authority si entusiastiske pressemelding i dag om eit nytt kyrkjefunn frå bysantinsk tid i Israel. Staden Nes Harim ligg i høgdedraga utanfor Jerusalem. Regionen var ein del av det kristne bysantinske riket i over 300 år. Historia om denne perioden (325-638) er både viktig og interessant, og slike funn er med og gjev ny kunnskap om den rike kristne kulturen i Midt-Austen i tida før muslimane kom hit i 638.

Arkeologen Daniel Ein Mor, som har leia utgravingane, seier blant anna:

We know of other Byzantine churches and sites that are believed to be Byzantine monasteries, which are located in the surrounding region. The excavation at Nes-Harim supplements our knowledge about the nature of the Christian-Byzantine settlement in the rural areas between the main cities in this part of the country during the Byzantine period, among them Bet Guvrin, Emmaus and Jerusalem.

Les heile pressemeldinga her.  Haaretz har også ein liten omtale av funnet her.

(via Jim West)

Studentar med entusiasme

Seks amerikanske studentar som har vore med på viktige arkeologiske utgravingar i Jerusalem, fortel i Edmond Outlook om kva dei har opplevd. Eg går ikkje god for alle vurderingane deira og veit ingenting om magasinet som dei uttalar seg til, men merkar meg entusiasmen og iveren som dei fortel med:

Working with Dr. Eilat Mazar, one of Israel’s top archaeologists, Brent Nagtegaal, Edwin Trebels, John Rambo, Jeremy Cocomise, Brandon Nice and Victor Vejil made significant finds. The first, the Wall of Nehemiah, dates back to the 5th-6th century B.C. The second, a tunnel associated with the palace of David, points even farther back in time to 1,000 B.C., giving the Bible historical credibility in the academic community that it hasn’t enjoyed in years.

Archaeology isn’t clean work. Says Rambo, “It’s dirty, it’s cramped, but the excitement of finding what lies around the corner keeps you going. After we explored the whole thing we wanted to get the debris out of the way so we could see where the tunnel led. The excitement of that keeps you interested the whole day. When we were working underground for eight hours it seemed like four hours and the day would go by and then the sun was going down.”

Their discovery may lead to still bigger, more amazing discoveries. “When we think about the tunnel, we think about all the what-ifs, all the possibilities relating to this tunnel,” says Vejil. “Dr. Mazar thinks it may lead to a pool called the “artificial pool,” mentioned in the book of Nehemiah. That would be a great find and could lead to further excavation. If the tunnel goes north, we know that may lead to the location of the Temple. We always have these big expectations that keep us excited, keep us motivated. But you never know until you excavate it.”

(les meir)

1800 år gamal marmorfigur

Det blir stadig gjort interessante arkeologiske funn i utgravingane i og rundt Davidsbyen i Jerusalem. I går offentleggjorde Israel Antiquities Authority funnet av ein spesiell og interessant marmorfigur frå ca 200:

An 1,800 Year Old Marble Figurine in the Image of a Bearded Man, probably that of a Roman Boxer, was Discovered

The figurine was used as a suspended weight together with a balance scale. This is probably the only find of its kind from excavations in the country.

A figurine (bust) made of marble depicting a miniature image of a bearded man’s head was discovered in the excavations that the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the area of the Givati car park in the City of David, in the Walls around Jerusalem National Park. (les meir og sjå bilete)

Oppdatering 28.01: Figuren er ca 5 cm stor. Sjå artikkel med bilete som viser storleiken her.